Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I still remember my family’s first Thanksgiving eight months after we arrived from Poland. We were refugees who had been forced to leave because my father was Jewish. We waited in Vienna for five months for a country that would take us in, until President Johnson signed a special order allowing us to enter the U.S.
I was almost six when we arrived, and I still remember our first home in the Bronx and our first Thanksgiving.
Since we had no relatives, we gathered with two other refugee families who were also displaced and shared our first turkey dinner together.
I don’t know if it was finally feeling that we had a safe home or a shared sense of belonging with the other families, but my love for Thanksgiving was born that day.
This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to take every opportunity you have to be (very) kind.
This could be asking family members or friends you don’t see often how 2025 has been for them, or simply smiling at a stranger on the street. As humans, we are wired for tribe. Feeling alone or unseen makes us feel unsafe. Being fully present with others and making them feel seen and heard is the greatest gift you can give.
I am deeply grateful to live a magnificent life filled with amazing clients who allow me to serve them and do work that I love. Thank you, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!